Ryan Weller has to put his life of action behind him. He’s settled down to work for his father’s construction firm in Wilmington, N.C. But it’s not so easy. When the grandfather of his former lieutenant, Greg Olsen, shows up at his work site, Ryan is pulled back in. His practical knowledge of sailing and skills as a former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician make him the ideal candidate to track down the pirates.
His first step is to consult with insurance investigator Emily Hunt. Ryan learns the pirates have sunken some of the sailboats off the Florida Keys. He and Emily don their scuba gear to investigate the wrecks. Their discoveries point them toward a smuggling ring and lead them to several people who have lived to tell their tales of being attacked by the pirates.
Mango and Jennifer Hulsey survived because Mango was no stranger to war. He joins forces with Ryan to sail Ryan’s own boat into harm’s way, to bait the pirates into attacking them. On the journey from North Carolina to Mexico, Jennifer plays matchmaker with Ryan and Emily. Their romantic weekend in the Florida Keys is interrupted by hitmen.
Undeterred, Ryan and Mango sail for Mexico to lure out the pirates. Can they survive the deadly forces arrayed against them to stop a madman bent on war with the United States?
From the Book:
The boat rocked again. His eyes snapped back open. He held his breath and listened intently. He heard silence and the ringing of his tinnitus. Very slowly, he slipped from the bed and stood. He kept his weight centered in the hull, so he wouldn’t give away his movements by causing the boat to rock as the person above had just done.
Outside, he could hear someone moving. Eventually, they would come through the cabin door. Ryan moved to the navigation table and gently lifted its top. He grabbed the Walther pistol and eased the table top back down. He took three quick steps to the kitchen and tucked himself behind the cabin wall, so he was out of the line of sight for whomever entered the cabin.
A man dropped down the ladder holding a pump-action shotgun. He moved down the narrow passageway, placing himself between Ryan and Emily. Ryan feared his bullet would go through the man and hit Emily. A shot in the wrong place could also sink his boat.
He looked down at the filet knife he’d left by the sink after washing dishes last night. He slipped his gun into the waist band of his shorts and picked up the knife. Metal scraped on metal as he lifted the blade from the stainless-steel sink basin. The sound drew the man’s attention. He spun, leveling the muzzle of the scattergun.